News

Following a proposal by Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera to amend the Nation Building Tax Act, No. 09 of 2009, Cabinet approval has been granted to remove the NBT imposed on certain goods.

Accordingly, the following goods will be exempt from the NBT.

• Equipment used for the construction of greenhouses, polytunnels aimed at utilizing advanced technology for agricultural activities
  Coconut oil and coconut related products
• Gemstones imported with the intention of cutting, polishing and re-exporting
• Sports equipment and sports gear (that do not operate by motors) necessary for water sports such as rowing, kayaking, kite surfing and diving
• Sports equipment and sports gear (that do not require power) necessary for air sports including gliders, air balloons, dirigible, parachutes and paragliders
• Services provided by the Sri Lanka Deposit Insurance Scheme.

 The NBT will however be levied on liquor in addition to existing taxes.

Foreign tours of all Government Ministers and MPs have been cancelled from April 2 to 6 in view of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the Prime Minister.

Speaking to the media at the Sirikotha UNP Head Office, UNP MP Ashu Marasinghe said all Government MPs currently overseas have been asked to cut short their visits and return to the country by April 1.

“The NCM is not only targeting Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, but also the Government. We will definitely defeat it and turn it around as a confidence motion on the Government. The Joint Opposition at the Party Leader’s Meeting wanted to delay the NCM and asked that it be taken up only after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The Government decided to give priority to it,” Prof. Marasinghe said.

He said no member in the Government ranks has the moral right to support the NCM, adding that those who signed the motion must resign from their portfolios before April 4. “After the NCM, we will start a new journey with new vigour. Those who dragged the Government from its feet have no place in it,” the MP said.

He said a decision on extending the Memorandum of Understanding between the UNP and SLFP would be taken after the NCM on April 4. “We hope that many SLFP members will continue to work with the UNP” he added.

He also said the UNP Working Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday to decide on party reforms, adding that those changes could be expected before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The MP was confident of defeating the NCM even if the SLFP decides to vote in favour. “We have contingency plans. It is a good opportunity to expose and expel the Government members with double-standards.We can clean-up the Government and go ahead,” he said.

UNP backbenchers Wijayapala Hettiarachchi and Prof.Ashu Marasinghe were of the view that the JO’s NCM against the Prime Minister and Government invariably applies to the President as well because he is the Head of Government as per the Constitution.

Quoting the Constitution, they pointed out the President is a member of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers. “This is a conspiracy and it will not end by removing PM Wickremesinghe.The next target would be the Speaker and the President,” they said.

Source : Daily News

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has been transferred back to the Ministry of Finance and Media by President Maithripala Sirisena via a special gazette notification.

According to the gazette notification, the Securities and Exchange Commission has also been listed under the Finance Ministry.

The Treasurer of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Minister S.B. Dissanayake, said that it is hard to oppose the Joint Opposition’s no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister as a party and as an alliance. However, he said that the SLFP has not made a final decision and that there is no need to topple the government.

Minister Dissanayake made these remarks while addressing a press conference at the SLFP headquarters today (27). He further said that the party will make a decision soon.

The Ambassador of the European Union Tung-Laï Margue together with the ambassadors of Romania and Switzerland visited the Kandy district from 27-28 March 2018.

The Ambassadors paid their respects to the Chief Prelate of the Asigiriya Chapter, the Most. Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thero, and the Chief Prelate of the Malwatte Chapter, the Most Venerable Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala.

 During a frank and constructive exchange, the envoys emphasised the importance of starting a systematic dialogue with other religious leaders to avoid the recurrence of the recent violence. They particularly welcomed the upcoming meeting of a parliamentary committee, consisting of religious and political leaders from all communities, set up to discuss the issue. The envoys also visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa.

The Ambassadors met representatives of the Muslim community to discuss the recent communal violence, and its aftermath. They expressed their sympathies for the loss of life and the destruction of homes, mosques, and businesses.

Addressing the media in Kandy, the ambassadors noted that the violence in Kandy district underscores the need to redouble efforts to support national reconciliation. They said that Sri Lankans know all too well the consequences of not addressing religious and ethnic hatred, and reiterated the importance of political, religious and community leaders taking the initiative to counter hate speech and racist stereotypes. The envoys emphasised that there must be no impunity for such crimes.

Former Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunge had been arrested by the Dubai authorities yesterday (26), Ravi Waidyalankara, the Senior DIG in charge of the FCID told the Daily News.

He said that the Dubai authorities had arrested him based on the investigations and submissions made by the FCID.

Currently, the FCID is in discussion with the Dubai authorities with regard to handing Weeratunga over to the Sri Lankan authorities. He had been arrested by the Dubai authorities last morning.

Previously, a special team comprising officers from the FCID, Criminal Investigation Division (CID), Foreign Ministry (FM), Attorney Generals’ Department and Department of Immigration and Emigration was sent to Dubai to bring the former ambassador back based on a warrant obtained from the Colombo Fort Magistrate.

Earlier this year Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne had also ordered to suspend the transactions of 16 bank accounts with a balance of USD 1.5 million maintained by Weeratunga in connection with the inquiry conducted into the purchase of Ukraine-built MiG-27 aircraft in 2006.

Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka is said to have suggested that Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe should step down from his post prior to the No confidence motion being presented to parliament.

According to political sources, the Minister is said to have said this at a special discussion held at the Ministry of Health yesterday. The meeting has been called by Minister Rajitha Senaratne to discuss regarding the decision that must be taken regarding the matter.

The meeting has been attended by Ministers of the United National Front (UNF) Patali Champika Ranawaka, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sarath Fonseka, Mona Ganesan, Palani Digambaran, Karunaratne Paranawithana.

However, they had not arrived at a conclusive decision political sources said. These Ministers are also set to meet the Prime Minister tomorrow for further discussion as well.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will not support the no-confidence motion party insiders said. According to sources, the party has decided to not support the Joint Opposition in the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe.

However, the TNA official was recently quoted as saying it would take a decision regarding the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe only on April 2 during their parliamentary group meeting.

Meanwhile Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) General Secretary and Minister, Patali Champika Ranawaka has said his party too will not support the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe submitted by a group involved in serious financial crimes much worse than the Central Bank bond scam.

He told a news conference that the government had carried out a proper investigation into the scam and brought the culprits to book.

“We have been of the view from the very beginning that the culprits involved in the bond scam should be brought to book. The bond scam had not only caused direct loss to the government but has also resulted in an economic crisis due to the increase in interest rates. The government appointed a PCoI on the matter and arrested those implicated. The government has taken proper action over the matter unlike during the Rajapaksa regime," the minister said.

He said the no-confidence motion was presented by a group involved in serious financial crimes such as MIG deal, which caused a US$6.8 million loss to the State.

“These frauds are worse than the CB bond scam. So we are not supporting a no-confidence motion brought in by such people,’ he said and added that there should be immediate reforms in the government and in the UNP, he said.

Results of the 2017 GCE Ordinary Level examination will be released in the afternoon today (March 28), Department of Examinations noted.

Commissioner of Examinations, Sanath Poojitha, said all preparations have been made to release the results via www.doenets.lk

The number of candidates who sat for the examination in 5116 examination centres is 688,573. The Department says 429,493 were school candidates while 259,080 were private candidates.

At the request of Government of Sri Lanka, High Commission of India organized an awareness workshop in Taj Samudra, Colombo on Goods and Service Tax (GST) on 23 March 2018. A three-member delegation from Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Government of India headed by Commissioner Mr. Upendra Gupta conducted the workshop. Ms. Sonali Wijeratne, Director General, Department of Commerce, Government of Sri Lanka and Mr. Arindam Bagchi, Deputy High Commissioner of India were also present. Several officials from various Ministries/Departments of Sri Lanka, representatives of the trade chambers, members from the industry etc. were also present. The discussions highlighted the fact that Sri Lankan exporters will now have access to hitherto unexplored markets of various states(provinces) in India, thanks to uniform rates of taxation all over India under the new GST Act.

Launched in July 2017, GST is hailed as India’s biggest tax reform since independence. GST has resulted in economic integration of India, by subsuming more than a dozen State and Central levies into one tax. GST has unified 29 states of India into a common national market for the first time. [One nation, One tax]. GST has also substantially increased ease of doing business in India. GST has mitigated cascading effects in taxation as well as ensured transparency, certainty and simplicity.

The new GST system will bring down the cost of imports and exports for Sri Lanka from/to India. The traders based in Sri Lanka will not have to bear the cost of any indirect tax except the basic customs duty and Social Welfare Surcharge, as applicable. Traders in India can now claim GST paid on imported goods as tax credit from Government of India.

Major General Dampath Fernando has been appointed the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

Fernando, formerly the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army was the Security Forces Commander in Mullaitivu previously. He is a highly decorated officer with a distinguished career who has commanded two infantry battalions, two brigades and three Infantry divisions in the north and eastern provinces and had taken part in many large and small scale operations.

He is also an outstanding sportsman who had represented Sri Lanka in basketball. Fernando joined the Army in 1983 with Intake 18 at the Sri Lanka Military Academy, Diyatalawa.

He was commissioned into Gemunu Watch Regiment and started his career as a Second Lieutenant. Presently he is the Colonel of the Gemunu Watch Regiment.

During his illustrious military career, he has held many important positions in the army in the fields of operations, training and staff.

Having been reinstated to the Army in 2015 by President Maithripala Sirisena, he gradually rose up to the position of Chief of Staff proving his professionalism and thus maintaining the correct protocol and seniority in the Army.

Source : Daily News

The Road to Rights, a Sri Lankan youth led organisation founded in 2009, was awarded the “Peoples Choice Award for the year 2018” at the Global Festival of Action for Sustainable Development, organized by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Campaign.

The Global Festival of Action for Sustainable Development is an international gathering which aims to catalyze action on the UN SDGs worldwide. The competition saw the participation of over 700 organizations worldwide representing different countries and different fields of action.

The core principals of the Road to Rights form around the concept of creating awareness on human rights and the 2030 agenda thus empowering youth and creating a community which shares love and values interpersonal respect.

For the past 9 years, The Road to Rights has launched many successful campaigns island wide such as “Purposeful Play”, “Senses and souls”, iLead, YouthVote, human rights friendly cities, Rock the city, and Green girls.

 “Remember this, we are the last generation to act on climate change. The world is in our hands, so let’s act together” – Ashan Perera at the award ceremony in Germany.

Ashan Perera began volunteering when he was just 8 years old and the organisation is the fruition of one boy's passionate dream to serve marginalized groups and members of society. Despite facing many obstacles and challenges, he has been able to create a youth led organisation that involves and inspires many young individuals in Sri Lanka while extending the reach of the 'Road to Rights' to 18 countries across the globe.